Westerns seem to be back in style and The Last Son certainly offers plenty of style, but not enough substance to make a mark. Directed by Tim Sutton (Donnybrook, Funny Face) and written by Greg Johnson, this slow-burn story has neither the gravitas to be an epic Western nor the flash to be an enjoyable shoot ‘em up flick. That being said, composer Phil Mossman’s chilling score elevates every scene and is underused. Cinematographer David Gallego does a lovely job framing the actors, pulling the audience in with some well-timed and poignant tracking shots. But The Last Son offers little more in the way of hallmark genre fare.
When a soothsayer prophesies an outlaw’s death at the hands of one of his kin, he decides to hunt them down first. The opening of The Last Son sees Issac (Sam Worthington) face-to-face with one of his sons in the dead of night, gun drawn. Next on his list is his only daughter, Megan (Emily Marie Palmer), who is just as stunned by Isaac's existence as she is by his plan. Word travels fast and son Cal (Colson Baker, aka Machine Gun Kelly) halts his plans to run away with a prostitute, Anna (Heather Graham), to end things with his father once and for all. When Cal steals a military gatling gun, Solomon (Thomas Jane) is the lawman tasked with getting it back. Hot on the trail of Cal, Solomon comes across Isaac and they both use each other to get to Cal.
The plot is so simple and to the point that it’s almost confusing when The Last Son meanders in terms of narrative. Too much time passes between Worthington killing people and the audience is frequently left watching him stare blankly into the camera. If anyone came in skeptical of Baker as a gunslinger, fear not, the most distracting acting in this film is far and away Thomas Jane, whose character was raised by Native Americans. Jane does not shy away from the voice work, a choice the movie might live to regret. Worthington has always been a bit underwhelming as a leading man, yet he seems to be channeling the likes of Ethan Hawke in the best possible sense as Isaac, a man who is lost, but has extreme purpose.
Framed in picturesque wide shots, the mountains of Montana are the perfect backdrop to convey both his loneliness and the scope of his undertaking. Worthington is, without a doubt, putting his best foot forward, but the script holds him and the film back from greatness. Unfortunately, The Last Son (or as it was previously titled The Last Son of Isaac Lemay) suffers from a lack of vision. Make no mistake, all the pieces are there to make an engaging film but they are not the sum of their parts. Worthington is hunting his own kids, but the film routinely makes it unclear if he is engaged in that quest or is just being a jerk to random townsmen. Baker turns in a solid performance, but when his character is faced with one of the truly uncomfortable and climactic moments of the film, the cracks in his acting start to show and the film begins to crumble.
Worthington is perhaps the most consistent force in the film talent-wise, but he never really goes on the murderous rampage promised by the film's premise. Ironically, it sometimes feels like Baker is the one truly on the path for vengeance. Between mowing down army camps with gatling guns and ending lives in bar fights, he even finds time to squeeze in a kill during a bank robbery. And while Baker's bank robbery is likely the high point of the film, that can seldom be said about scenes with just Worthington. Save for Thomas Jane, everyone in front of and behind the camera has the right idea but there is just no glue to hold the film together cohesively. A genuinely gritty premise paired with a 90-minute runtime is typically a recipe for success, but The Last Son never becomes the movie it's capable of being.
The Last Son is in select theaters and on-demand as of December 10. The film is 96 minutes long and rated R for violence throughout, some sexual content, nudity and language.
